The Best Things to Do in Penang, Malaysia: An Ultimate Guide!

You’ve come to Penang in Malaysia because it’s on every suggested itinerary for Malaysia but actually, you’re thinking what is there to do in Penang? Look no further.

I loved my time exploring Penang, particularly Georgetown, and have put together a great itinerary for the best things to do in Penang.

There’s something for everyone on this list such as eating, history, shopping, culture and just general exploring. There are lots of things to see in Penang and you could visit Penang for 3 days or, as I did, over a week.

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A Penang Mini Guide

How to Get to Penang

Penang is an island located North-West of Malaysia. It’s an easy place to reach via plane, ferry, bus, taxi or train. It has a bridge connecting it to the mainland so you don’t necessarily have to take the ferry.

If you’re going to Penang from Kuala Lumpur, I suggest you take the bus because it’s very easy to book, cheap tickets, frequent journeys and only takes about 5 hours.

Read my full guide here on how to get to Penang from KL by bus.

How to Get a SIM Card in Penang

The best way to get a SIM card for Penang is to buy this 4G Sim for Malaysia which you can pick up from Penang International Airport if arriving by air. Also, this sim will work all over Malaysia and has various airport pick-ups around the country.

Alternatively, you can buy a SIM card in any 7/11 in Malaysia.

Where to Stay in Penang

When you arrive in Penang there are various places you can stay and Georgetown is by far the most popular place to stay for travellers. It does not have the ‘tourist’ feel but is rather an authentic Malaysian place. Georgetown is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and if you don’t want to stay there because it’s on the ‘beaten path’, you’ll be doing yourself a disservice.

I stayed at Kim Haus Loft Guesthouse in the heart of Georgetown which itself has some attractions such as a cafe, bar and learning about the history of the Gold industry in Georgetown (more below).

Click here to stay at Kim Haus Loft.

I have friends who also recommended good places to stay in Penang. One of them was a place called Star Lodge and it looked so good. We were planning on doing half our trip at Kim Haus and the other at Star Lodge but there wasn’t availability. If you want to stay where we didn’t get a chance, click here to book Star Lodge and let me know how it goes!

Alternatively, I always use booking.com to book my accommodation so if you want to find where to stay in Penang, use this search box for your trip!

Booking.com

The List: The Best Things to Do in Penang

There is so much to do in Penang and the following things could be spread out over a week (as I did), or you could do it all within 3 days! It depends on how you prefer to spend your time and what you’re interested in. I have indicated below the unmissable things to do in Georgetown too.

At time of writing: 5 MYR = £1

Street Art
Bike Ride
Ghost Museum
Prangin Mall
Jetty Clans
Little India
Live Music
Penang Hill
Cafe Hopping
Learn Georgetown’s History of Gold-Making
Street Food
Watch Noodle-Making
Enjoy the Diversity in Penang

Find Street Art – The Main Thing to Do in Penang

Let’s start at the very beginning. One of (if not the) main attraction of Georgetown, Penang. The street art. The art is so impressive and you may have seen lots of pictures but it’s nothing like seeing it up close; it’s remarkable.

One downside, however, is the ‘instagram versus reality’ phenomenon. By that I mean the long queues of people lined up to take their picture with the art. I didn’t queue up for myself to be in the picture but I took quick shots when people were out of the way of the lens (tip).

If there’s something I love about a place, it is the way it embraces itself. I’m from Cardiff and they don’t see it as street art but rather as graffiti whereas our neighbours, Bristol (home to Banksy), truly embrace the wonder, feelings, opinions sprawled on the walls by its people or visitors. Georgetown, wonderfully, hired an artist named Ernest Zacharevic to decorate the place with his art and they are very famous.

Around the place are pieces by local artists too. If you’ve ever wondered why are there cats on street art in Georgetown, it is part of a project called ‘101 Lost Kittens’ to raise awareness about the issue of finding homes for stray animals.

Image of 101 Lost Kittens Street Art in Georgetown — 101 Lost Kittens Project

To find the street art, you only have to walk / rent a bike and go down lanes and you’ll be sure to find something. I recommend starting on Muntri Street, following crowds, and looking out for groups/queues of people. Other streets include Lebuh Victoria, Lebuh Chulia and Lebuh Armenian.

Tip: To help you get around, remember that Jalan means Road, Lebuh means Street and Lorong means Lane.

Rent a Bike

The best way I found the street art was when I rented a bicycle in Penang. It is very easy to rent a bike and it’s the easiest way to explore Penang in my opinion.

Find a shop (I went to Snappy’s on Chulia Street) with a ‘bike for rent’ sign and pay a small fee to hire the bike for the day. This way, you can explore parts you may not bother on foot and go a little further afield. We loved our bike ride and a self-guided tour is the best way to do it.

Ghost Museum

Something you won’t find on most Penang itineraries would be the ghost museum but trust me, it’s a fun and unique way to spend your time. The Ghost Museum is sort of a haunted house and you go through each room that is based on a different country such as Egypt, China, Japan and South Korea and more.

Each room tells ghost stories, myths and legends from that country with props and replicas to help you learn about that country’s superstitions and beliefs regarding the supernatural side of things.

It also has fancy dress that you can try on for photographs for something fun to do in Georgetown. You’ll also realise that the ghost stories always have a moral value to teach people.

I highly recommend visiting here.

Price: 36 MYR per adult

Address: 57, Lebuh Melayu, George Town, 10300 George Town, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia

Prangin Mall

If you’re looking to do some shopping, Prangin Mall has everything from H&M for clothes, tourist agencies for onward travel, Pizza Hut for some comfort food, spas for relaxation and best of all air conditioning throughout the entire Mall. Head here for some needed down time.

Address: NO 33-G-3A GROUND FLOOR JALAN DR LIM CHWEE LEONG PULAU PINANG, 10100 George Town, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia

Jetty Clans – Unmissable Attraction in Penang

The Clan Jetties in Penang are part of the heritage trail in Georgetown. The Jetty Clans are a floating village with houses on stilts that tourists can visit to learn about the Chinese settlements and take pictures of the impressive architecture looking over the water.

Chew Jetty is the most famous house for tourists but there are actually other clans all named after the families of the original jetties.

Address: Pengkalan Weld, George Town, 10300 George Town, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia

Wander through Little India

Little India was my favourite area of Penang! Although I’ve never been to India, I felt that this was a glimpse into the country I’ve had wanderlust over for years and is one of the best things to do in Penang.

Of course, trying the food is the main attraction in Penang’s Little India but just wandering through the neighbourhood is an easy, calming (and free) past time.

You can hear the beats of Bollywood blasting from speakers outside movie stores before being hit with the smell of Indian food cooking on the street. Your attention is diverted as you zig-zag the roads because the rickshaws zoom past and then you’re calmed once more by the spice aroma consuming the street.

Do not miss Little India!

Listen to Live Music

If you fancy a drink and a night out in Penang there is a party area near Chulia Street. The party scene isn’t major in Penang and alcohol tax is high in Malaysia (with the exception of Langkawi Island which is tax free). There are pubs and bars on Love Lane though where you can enjoy a beer on tables outside while listening to live music.

Penang Hill – Best Thing to Do In Penang Outside Georgetown

One of the best things to do in Penang would be to visit Penang Hill on a day trip! We had a great day here which is about a 20 minute car-ride away from Georgetown.

Read my step-by-step guide to Penang Hill including a scary moment we encountered!

Cafe Hop in Penang

There is a great coffee culture in Malaysia as a whole and when you visit Georgetown in particular, be sure to cafe hop in Penang.

20 Cafe on Chulia Lane is my recommendation for a good cafe in Penang. The food was tasty and the fresh juice served is delicious. The interior is cool (both temperature-wise and stylistically).

For another option, eat at the Kim Haus bakery. Everything is made fresh on the morning: the croissants are warm with unique jam and the house cheesecake is buttery and soft.

Learn About the History of Gold in Georgetown

We stayed at Kim Haus which is a hotel, bakery, gym, bar and restaurant in one! It’s also a great place to learn about Gold.

They have playing cards dotted around the place that have facts about Gold on them. It once was a jewellery shop called Kim How and still has the largest vault in the city. They have unique art and posters on the walls and on level 2 have preserved old gold machinery to observe along with a lot of information about the making and selling of Gold.

I highly recommend staying in Kim Haus for friendly staff, good food, free education, free laundry, free water and the coolest style of accommodation. To stay at Kim Haus book here.

Street Food – On Every Penang Travel Blog

If there is just one thing to do in Penang whether you’re in Georgetown for 1 day or 1 month, it’s to try the incredibly delicious street food. Penang is renowned for its abundance of diverse street food and no matter where you go, you’ll find something great! That’s why trying street food in Georgetown is on every Penang travel blog (because it’s so worth it).

My top tip for visiting Penang would be to do your own self-guided tour of Street Food in Georgetown by looking out for names of foods and trying them at different stalls around the city.

If you want a low-down of the best foods to try in Penang, read my list of where to eat street food here.

Watch How Noodles Are Made in Georgetown

In one restaurant in Georgetown, famous for its Duck dishes, Hong Kee Wan Thun Mee offers a blend of Chinese and Malay food. This place is always busy but if you can request a table near the front then you’re in for a treat.

You have to aim to get here for specific times of the day (2pm and 4pm when I was there but go early in the morning to check the times) to watch the production of noodles. It’s a great way to spend an afternoon, enjoying your food while watching a process that’s been around for centuries.

Address: 37, Lebuh Campbell, George Town, 10200 George Town, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia

Enjoy the Diversity in Penang

I look back on my time in Penang with fondness because of a few reasons:

All the things to do in Penang as the list above.
The food! Say no more.
The Diversity.

The diversity on the streets of Penang is something I admire about any place I visit. I love when a city/town is highly multi-cultured and Penang is somewhere I will think of when describing a place full of diversity. I’m from Cardiff in Wales so it strikes me with a sense of homeliness when I visit somewhere similar.

As an example, In Georgetown, on one street, there is a Mosque, a Church, a Taoist temple and a Hindu temple. On one street. If you’re exploring Penang, notice the way everyone co-exists with different cultures and religions that balances the city.

The Best Things to Do in Penang, Malaysia